Leaving Town
by conorp
Summary: Koh (along with others) leaves Monsbaiya after finding day-to-day life too dull to his liking anymore. Chapter 3 is up!
1. Leaving Monsbaiya

I don't own Azure Dreams or anything else in this fic, except for the storyline.  
  
"Mr. Koh," a voice said into Koh's ear.  
  
Koh turned over, away from the voice.  
  
"Wake up, Mr. Koh," the voice cooed.  
  
Koh put a pillow over his head and curled up.  
  
"I am warning you, Mr. Koh," the voice said, slightly agitated.  
  
Koh began to feel his breathing slow as he began to fall asleep.  
  
"I warned you," there was a boom, and Koh flew out of bed.  
  
His blankets had been lit on fire, by none other than Selfi Rode. She held up a beautifully carved wood staff and water flew from it. The blankets hissed as they were put out. Selfi turned to Koh, excitement lighting up her features, as if she had done something spectacular.  
  
"Today you take me to the Tower, so we can reach the top floor together," She said.  
  
Inside, Koh groaned. "I do?" Koh questioned, groggily.  
  
"Of course you do!" Selfi said.  
  
"What if I don't go to the Tower today?" Koh asked.  
  
Selfi's jaw dropped. "You mean, you would actually turn down going to the tower?"  
  
"Yeah," Koh said, beginning to like the idea. "I could see the world or at least part of it, away from the Tower, Monsbaiya, and Ghosh." He muttered under his breath, "And a few other members of the Rode family.  
  
"I will go pack… immediately," Selfi said, rushing out of Koh's room.  
  
Koh stood up and stretched. It was one of those days. He knew it was going to be. Like the day he went into the Tower for the first time. Already, his limbs ached for exercise, to be used for some greater cause. Koh ran through some rooms and into his living room.  
  
Wreath was at the oven, putting in some bread. Her hair was in a bun, as usual. Her apron was stained on the front. That meant it was washing day. Whenever Wreath's apron was that dirty, it was washing day. Weedy was in a corner giggling as Nico Southey held up a small yellow duck toy. Weedy was jumping for it, but it was just out of reach.  
  
Fur Gotts looked up as Koh came in. "Hey, Koh. What did Selfi leave for in such a hurry?" She continued sweeping as she said this.  
  
"No idea Fur, maybe Nico scared her off," Koh said.  
  
Nico looked up and scowled. Weedy grabbed the duck and ran off. Nico went chasing after her.  
  
"Well good luck," Nico said.  
  
"Yeah, you need it, in the Tower," Fur said.  
  
"I'm not going to the Tower," Koh said.  
  
Nico choked. Fur dropped her broom.  
  
"Umm… repeat that last line, I think your stupidity took over," Fur said, looking at Koh askance.  
  
"I said, 'I'm… not… going… to… the… tower'," Koh repeated slowly.  
  
Nico's blue eyes grew wide. "You always go to the Tower every day. Besides, what else could you do?"  
  
"Leave town," Koh said.  
  
Wreath dropped a dish she was holding. Weedy caught it, then promptly dropped it. "Whoops, hee hee," she giggled. Wreath ignored this.  
  
"Did the Glaciers hit you a little hard or something?" Fur asked.  
  
"Koh, you can't be serious," Nico said.  
  
"I am," Koh simply said, and walked out the door saying, "Good bye."  
  
He hopped on his Aura Bike and cruised over to the Blacksmith to sell his acquired goods from the Tower. Of course, saying 'good bye' wasn't the end of it. If he was lucky, he would only have to keep Selfi from coming. If he was unlucky, then half of Monsbaiya would want to come.  
  
After selling his goods at the Blacksmith, Koh hopped on his Aura Bike again. He had the feeling he would have to say no to half the town. He headed over to Hush's, stocking up on herbs. After all, the outside world didn't have an item limit. Koh drove back to his house, and quietly went inside. Wreath was busy at the washing machine, and Weedy was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Koh went into his room, then into the Monster Hut. He took his Kewne, Ashra, Barong, Mandara, and Dragon; he didn't want to take his strongest monsters, in case robbers waylaid him. Of course the Kewne was an exception. He went towards the back of the Monster Hut. His prized Nyuels were nowhere to be seen! Koh searched everywhere in his expansive Monster Hut, but he could not find any of his Nyuels!  
  
Then Koh had an idea where they could be. He left, still slipping past his mother. Hopping on his bike he drove. He knew he was going to miss leaving his Aura Bike but it couldn't handle the sand of the desert. He arrived at the gates. As he suspected Nico was there, with all the Nyuels ready to go. Koh knew that he was going to have one heck of a time convincing Nico not to come.  
  
"Hey Koh, I'm ready to go," Nico said.  
  
Koh threw his hands up in exasperation. "Nico, you can't come."  
  
"Of course not," a voice said behind Koh.  
  
Selfi came up on a hot pink Nyuel. It whinnied and knelt down. Selfi gracefully dismounted.  
  
"Koh would never let you come," Nico said, disgust evident in her voice.  
  
Selfi glided over and looked into Koh's eyes. "Mr. Koh," she said in a velvety alluring voice. "You'll let me come won't you?"  
  
Koh swallowed. "Nobody," he managed to get out. "Is coming."  
  
"Whaddaya mean 'Nobody's coming'?" Fur's voice came from behind. "Oh, and Selfi, don't give me that viperish look, it doesn't suit a little leech like you."  
  
Fur came up on a very strange looking Aura Bike. It had two fans on each side, and seemed to repel sand from the Bike. It had a little steering wheel, and a little horn.  
  
Selfi stuck her tongue out at Fur.  
  
"Now you can't come, you have a store," Koh objected.  
  
"Nico's dad's running it," Fur said.  
  
Nico's eyes narrowed. "I going to have a long talk with Dad when I get home."  
  
"Which is about now," Koh said.  
  
"Yes, go home," Selfi said. "And you too… Fur Gotts."  
  
"All of you, go home," Koh said.  
  
"I don't have to," Fur said. "I have to pick up supplies for the store anyway."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to Haruka," Koh said. "And that's where your suppliers are, correct?"  
  
"Well, yes," Fur said, but recovered quickly. "I'll just head out into the world, and find… oddities, you know, the items that nobody carries. And I'll do this with you, Koh." Her Aura Bike came up beside his. "And I'll throw in a Desert Aura Bike, just for you."  
  
"I can buy you one!" Selfi objected.  
  
"For 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 G's?" Fur asked in wonder.  
  
"What's that number?" Selfi asked.  
  
"A number too large for you, simple sister," Ghosh said, entering.  
  
Koh rolled his eyes. Fur immediately cuffed him behind the head.  
  
"Ow!" Koh said, trying to glare at everyone at once.  
  
Ghosh came up to Koh. "So you're finally leaving. Got scared of me, eh? Well, I know that I am the most powerful swordsman in the world, not to mention the most handsome." Ghosh looked over to Nico. She ignored this.  
  
"NONE OF YOU ARE COMING!" Koh bellowed. His chest heaved.  
  
"My, my," Ghosh said. His chuckle died, when he felt a sword against his throat.  
  
Selfi screamed. Koh had dismounted and had put his sword at Ghosh's throat. "You have mocked me one too many times, Ghosh," Koh said, his sword not trembling one bit.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Koh! Are you okay?" Suddenly, Cherryl, out of seemingly nowhere, jumped into a hug with Koh. "Did Ghosh hurt you?" Her eyes narrowed at Ghosh, her wrapped up hat slanted in an ominous fashion over her eyes.  
  
Unfortunately, the hug knocked Koh off balance. He fell over his Aura Bike, dropped his sword, and hit the stone path. In an instant Ghosh had his own sword out. In one swift motion, he thrust it into Koh's stomach.  
  
"Aaaaiyeee!" Cherryl screamed.  
  
Ghosh laughed.  
  
Nico's eyes narrowed. She leapt into the air and landed a kick into Ghosh's jaw. The swordsman fell back onto his rear end, bawling like a baby.  
  
Selfi could only stare.  
  
Cherryl was already tending to Koh. She was muttering things like, "…Athelas… Moonlight Weed…Aum Plant… I don't know…"  
  
Koh moaned in pain. He hadn't expected that. He could hear voices buzzing in the distance, but the only voice he heard was Cherryl's melodic soothing. But it was like a massive yell, and it hurt his head. Then he felt pain. It was as if a thousand tiny steel daggers had punctured his side. He screamed. It didn't help.  
  
Cherryl fell backwards, away from Koh. Leaves of all shape and color flew everywhere.  
  
Koh couldn't breathe. He tried to suck breath through his lungs, but it was like pulling a house through its door. He couldn't do it. He pulled as hard as he could, the world beginning to go dim. Then his vision suddenly went a very unique shade of grey. He struggled to remain conscious, and ignore the burning in his lungs. He focused on the one thing he saw: Seraphim. It had lain there probably since he had dropped it. Light reflected off it painfully into his eyes, but Koh still stared at it. Then suddenly, his tightening lungs pulled in air. The herbs must have worked!  
  
It was a heavenly bliss. Each cool air, each blessed inhalation was indescribable. It was like comparing the brightness of the sun and dark of a cloudy, moonless night. They just couldn't compare.  
  
"Thank you Cherryl," Koh said, feeling invigorated.  
  
"I didn't d-d-do anyth-th-thing," Cherryl stuttered.  
  
Koh just stared at where his wound should have been, and then he looked over at his sword.  
  
Seraphim gleamed innocently.  
  
Koh rolled his eyes, shrugged and turned. By now, half the village had gathered. Koh knew he was unlucky. Of course Wreath, Weedy, Selfi, Nico, Fur, Patty, Mia, Vivian, and Cherryl were all there. Ghosh was doling out money to the local police. Koh had counted on that. Both guards happily strolled off to the local casino.  
  
Koh pulled his bag out of nowhere, (How does he do that?). It gleamed, and out came his Dragon and Kewne. Both grinned. The Kewne balled up above the Dragon and charged. The Dragon blew a fireball, and the Kewne was engulfed as he charged Ghosh.  
  
The catastrophic boom that followed was horrendous. Ghosh fell backward. Apparently he had some good armor.  
  
Seeing Koh okay, all the girls began yelling, "Let me go with you, Koh!"  
  
Koh groaned, again. This was almost as bad as being stabbed. No, it was most definitely worse. Koh looked around. "Okay, who really wants to come?"  
  
All the girls' hands went up. But more unexpected hands came up. Fon, the theatre owner, raised his hand. Bet, the gambler raised his hand. And lastly, and most shocking, Ghosh.  
  
"And each of you tells me why you should come," Koh said.  
  
Selfi went first, "I'm obviously the most attractive." That got some pretty harsh stares. "And I'm a sorceress, physically fit, and rich."  
  
Nico went second, "I know you inside and out, Koh, and I could be your advisor, and I'm not too bad with knives."  
  
Fur looked at everyone, shrugged, and commenced, "I have money too, but I have a good eye for anyone trying to cheat you. Plus, I can stock us up on anything, Aura Bikes to food supplies."  
  
Vivian smiled, "I can keep everyone entertained by the campfire with my enchanting, enthralling, alluring seductive…" Koh's eyes narrowed. Vivian quickly finished, "…Dancing."  
  
Mia followed, "I am the most knowledgeable of anything worth knowing, and I can be an immense help in disputes. I consider myself somewhat of a diplomat."  
  
Patty grinning piped up, "I can cook."  
  
Cherryl looked at everyone smiled sweetly and said, "I am a beautiful woman, I have many skills, and I am intelligent, friendly, and easy to get along with, I am perfection, in a human form."  
  
Everyone stared at the little outburst. Fur laughed outright. Vivian shrugged uncomfortably and sat down.  
  
Bet continued, "I am about the luckiest guy you'll ever meet, and I have some pretty good familiars, nothing like yours, but I am the best with a spear in Monsbaiya, and I can be an immense help with all my certain masculine charms."  
  
Ghosh snorted.  
  
"And I, the great Fon, am a great entertainer. I can talk you out of any situation, and if we need to perform I can dictate everything into a fluid act. I can be an immense help," Fon grinned like he said the most profound words in the universe.  
  
Ghosh dusted himself off, cleared his throat, generally made it into a big show, and began, "I, Ghosh Rode, the Master Swordsman, Prince of Monsbaiya, and the most handsome man in the world, have no need to say why I should come. But alas, I guess you peasants need such guidance, so I will explain to those… more ignorant. Firstly, I have my lesser sister, Selfi Rode, my fragile flower of a sister. I must protect her from the barbarian, Koh. I must also come to prove myself. After all, I simply could not let a commoner best me in any competition. I could be an immense asset, with my sword fighting skills. And lastly, I live for adventure."  
  
The few last Ghosh supporters in the town were crying. Everyone else held back sudden coughs, in an effort not to laugh.  
  
Koh looked at everyone. Knowing what would happen should he say no to anyone, he said, rather resignedly, "Go ahead, everyone. You can come." 


	2. Desert Sands

****

I don't own Azure Dreams or anything else in this fic, except for the storyline.

Koh stared ahead at the sifting sands. He hadn't really meant it to be like this. He only wanted to go along on his own little solo adventure. But everyone made it into a big project, and now he was going on a miniature expedition. Nearly everyone was riding one of Koh's Nyuels. Fur, Nico, and Mia were riding Desert Aura Bikes, and Selfi was riding that horrible pink Nyuel. Between the constant whinnying and the hum of the fans, was the sound of the wind blowing across the sand. In other words, it was a nightmare, inside an oven.

The sun glared above, his rays bestowing heat on anything with living body functions. It didn't help that the sand reflected it tenfold, or that Vivian, Selfi, Ghosh, and Fur wouldn't cease complaining about the heat. And as much as he tried to ignore it, Koh felt the sun's rays hitting him in the back, drying his flesh into jerky. And the trail was rather unstable as well. Each step was more a risk for the rider, than Nyuel. The Nyuels were smarter than stepping into a sandfish pod. They would just stop suddenly and send you flying into the nearest dune.

Which is exactly what happened to Cherryl.

The small nurse was apparently enraptured with her book, _Herbs and Their Miraculous Uses_, and wasn't paying attention. The sandfish pod was quite obvious, churning the sand with rippling waves, almost like the ocean. The Nyuel ceased its movement; Cherryl didn't.

"Aiyaaaaaaaaa!" Cherryl screamed as she flew into the sand.

The scream became a muffled "Eeeeeeemmmmf!"

All the Nyuels reined in. Except for Selfi's. She kept on going. The three Desert Aura Bikes came to a slow stop and wheeled around. Cherryl fell out of the dune. He hat was all dusty, and she was covered in sand.

"Stupid Nyuel!" Cherryl yelled. This was followed by a quite a few profane phrases that need not be repeated.

Mia stared at Cherryl wide eyed. The Nyuel merely whinnied and began to trot.

Cherryl growled something that made Mia's eyes go wider and jumped onto the Nyuel, without any help.

"I'm impressed," Vivian said, but no one paid attention.

Koh shrugged. He really didn't care. Nobody was hurt, except for Cherryl's pride and she seemed to be coping with it none to badly.

The sun slowly moved in the sky, the ball of fire slowly burning everyone's skin, except for Koh, Nico, and Bet. Selfi had a totally unnecessary purple parasol above her head, and it bobbed back and forth rhythmically to the Nyuel's movements. Mia fell back.

"Koh, I'm beginning to burn," Mia said, gesturing at her now pink arms.

"What am I supposed to do?" Koh asked, looking down at Mia.

"I don't know," she said, looking rather sad.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Fur yelled. "Can we move any slower? I've seen Stealths move faster. A Pulunpa could beat us in a race! I could just cruise on ahead and leave you all behind, but I'm a nice person, so I'll wait up."

"Koh, I'm thirsty," Selfi said, her Nyuel neighing in agreement.

"When are we getting to Haruka, I'm gettin' bored," Nico said.

"Yeah, or at least a waterhole," Vivian said. "I'm thirsty as well."

"I am getting hungry," Ghosh stated. "We must sit down and have lunch."

"But I'm burning up," Mia said, whirling on Ghosh. "We aren't staying anywhere."

"Yeah, let's move," Fur said.

"I'm with the shopkeeper," Bet said.

"But I'm getting so hot," Fon whined.

"And I think my food is going bad," Patty said. "And Haruka is so far away."

Koh wisely kept silent, and then he had an idea. "If anyone whines, complains, or so much as states an opinion in the next five minutes, they're taking the road back to Monsbaiya. If you refuse to leave, I'll have my Mandara and Barong use their self-destruct combo. You wouldn't like that. Everyone got that?"

Ten faces moved slowly in nods.

"Good, we'll pick up the pace, but lets keep it slow and steady, no need to exhaust the Nyuels." Koh's Nyuel took off at a slow trot. It had been an extremely long day, and Koh was almost ready for a rest as well. He was tired of the same endless dunes, the same winds and sweltering heat. It was about one o'clock, judging by the sun, when the group found a small oasis.

It wasn't anything spectacular, a few straggly palm trees, draining a small mudhole of almost all its water. Two Pulunpas at the waterhole bolted immediately. A bolder Weadog hung around until the group got to the oasis. He bolted off in the opposite direction. The Nyuels flocked around the hole, and began to drink. Bet, Fon, Mia, and Cherryl did the same.

Selfi and Fur both took one look at the water and shook their heads.

"I wouldn't drink that even for Koh's hand in marriage," Fur declared.

"I would not take it that far," Selfi said, disgust marring her features. "But I wouldn't drink it for any amount of gold."

"For once, I am with my sister in this matter," Ghosh declared. His smug features contorted to a look of contempt. He gestured at the people gathered around the waterhole. "Please remove these commoners from this waterhole. They disgust me."

"You disgust me, Ghosh," Nico said.

"You disgust me, Nico," Selfi said.

"Well you disgust me, Selfi," Fur said.

"Your pathetic redundancy nauseates me to no end," Fon declared.

"And nobody cares that the Weadog is back," Koh said.

Immediately, all the girls except for Nico screamed. Fon screamed as well. The Weadog had crept around the group and had come up from behind. The group had been so busy arguing or drinking water they hadn't noticed its return. Except for Koh.

The first person to react was Vivian. She jumped in the air, and with her bulky dress in the way, managed to kick it. The large bone in its hand flew out of its numb hand. The bone ricocheted off a tree. Vivian caught it and slammed the bone down on the Weadog's head. The poor Weadog crumpled in a small whimpering heap. After a few seconds of whimpering, it disappeared.

Everyone except for Ghosh and Selfi clapped. "Very… imp… ress… ive…" Fon said, through mouthfuls of water.

Everyone seemed to notice the water again and went back to drinking.

Koh began to laugh.

"What is so funny?" Ghosh growled, his hand going to his sword.

Vivian's eyes narrowed at Ghosh, and she hefted the bone dangerously. Ghosh visibly paled and removed his hand from his hilt.

"You guys truly are amateurs at this aren't you?" Koh whispered into a Nyuel's ear. It whinnied and water began to slowly spray from it. Koh held out some canteens and gathered it. As he did this, he explained, "Nyuels are water-type familiars. Even though their spells make soap bubbles, they can also produce water. It is hardly painful for them, and doesn't sap their water supply. Instead, it only decreases their MP slightly, leaving much energy for speed and stamina.

Everyone nodded his or her heads reluctantly. Even Ghosh.

Selfi was the first to speak. "Simply brilliant Mr. Koh!" she cried, gliding over beside Koh.

"Stay away from that… that thing!" Ghosh yelled at his sister.

"Mr. Koh is not a thing," Selfi whirled on Ghosh.

"No, he's not," Cherryl said, turning to Ghosh.

"Indeed he is not," Vivian's eyes narrowed.

"I ah… meant no offense to Koh," Ghosh said, sweat trickling down his face, from the heat he was taking from the girls and the sun.

"We're leaving soon; you might want to finish getting a drink," Koh said, topping off a second canteen.

"Well… is anybody thirsty? I know I am!" Ghosh rushed off to the waterhole, where Fon was still slurping water.

Mia was sitting a few feet away, already engrossed in a book.

Fur rose from the waterhole and started her Desert Aura Bike. She hopped on and flew up to Koh. Her voice took on the most seductive tone she could muster. "Oh Koh, why don't you come away with me, to lands far away, where it is always night, and the water sparkles in the moonlight beneath golden clouds that slowly move across the sky, as birds chorus out in songs of romance and adventure while we sit beneath the stars, away from all trouble and chaos, sharing our love for each other…"

"Maybe another time, Fur," Koh said finishing a fourth canteen. He watched her reaction and then went back to work.

"Maybe I would be better off with Ghosh," Fur said. She sniffed loudly and flew off.

"Did somebody mention the Prince of Monsbaiya?" Ghosh asked, strutting up.

"Nope, not me," Koh said.

"Not even just the slightest mutter, maybe something like, 'Oh His Majesty Ghosh Rode is simply the most divine person to inhabit this planet now and forever'?"

"Nope," Koh said.

"Well, perhaps it's just slipped your memory. You have leave to talk to me if you remember," Ghosh turned and walked off.

Koh had to hold back laughter, and finally failed.

He topped off his eighth canteen as Fur came back around. Her features were lit up with excitement, as she exclaimed, "Over the hill is Haruka! I saw it! Let's go!" She wheeled around and began to move.

Everyone made a mad dash to their transportation and took off following Fur. Koh was the last to leave, as he topped off twenty canteens total. He followed and slowly came over the hill. Below him, was the sprawling city of Haruka. It was built along a riverbank, with much river mud used for the buildings. Water from the river was being diverted to small fields and larger farms. Some larger villas had small gardens as well. All in all, Haruka was a lot larger than Monsbaiya.

Koh shrugged. It would just be an adventure of a different sort.

His Nyuel descended into Haruka.


	3. In Haruka

****

I don't own Azure Dreams or anything else in this fic, except for the storyline.

****

Author's note: AdeptsR2Cool pointed out that I didn't even use Bet last chapter… Oops! I just ask for forgiveness…

Koh rode his Nyuel slowly down into Haruka when, "Hey Koh!" a voice called out.

Koh wearily turned around. "Oh, hi Bet."

"Koh! I have to show you something," Bet exclaimed. He held out an egg. "I followed those Pulunpas, the ones at the waterhole, and found a veritable den of eggs! I used a truth glass, and found a…" He grinned here, "…Mandara, Koh! I found a Mandara!"

Koh wasn't sharing Bet's enthusiasm, however. "Bet you do know what this means, correct?"

Bet stopped grinning. "Umm… What?"

"With eggs outside the Monster Tower, there's no need to go there now. Do you realize what will happen to Monsbaiya? Without people coming to the Tower, there will be no need to go to Monsbaiya. It will become a ghost town, Bet. With its main attraction deemed obsolete, Monsbaiya will slowly rot, no longer a fresh frontier town, but more a town slowly collapsing on itself. First, the treasure hunters, those least loyal, will leave. Because of this, businesses will close, and shopkeepers will be forced to leave. This will cause a loss in everything, leaving everybody left as penniless good-for-nothings. Children will grow up and leave, dreaming of a better life, along with other people. A few will stay, hoping the glory days of Monsbaiya will return, but it will never be… never be that way again." Koh hung his head sadly.

"Ouch," said Bet. "You're a lot of trouble," he said to the egg.

"Well, just don't tell anyone where you got it," Koh said.

"Can do," Bet said.

Koh reined his Nyuel around and finally descended into Haruka.

The first thing he noticed was it was significantly cooler here. The breeze was just enough to pick up the cool air over the river and blow it into this side of Haruka. Koh looked around, amazed. The town was huge, with businesses and homes stacked on top of each other. Colorful banners and signs proclaimed wares to be sold, while even more vivid awnings protected the merchants beneath. Food was in abundance, but so were more odd marketplace items. Koh saw everything from paintings to perfumes, monster eggs to monster handbooks. The eggs however looked quite fake, and Koh was reasonably assured that nobody had learned of eggs outside the tower. Upon coming to a plaza, he saw some scantily clad women dancing. It was rather good dancing, but Vivian's dancing was much better. He saw a few men watching, but nothing more. Koh quickly hurried on, the plaza was just a little too hot. He bumped into somebody.

"Hey! Watch were you're… KOH!" Cherryl practically squealed.

"Hi… Cherryl," Koh said.

Cherryl apparently had just been browsing for some goods at a small dusty stand.

"Hey, girl, either buy it, or get outta here, got it?" a rather roguish and scruffy man snapped.

"Hey, I'm still looking!" Cherryl snapped back.

"Oh yeah… Listen here lil' missie, I don't think you quite understand. I don't want customers wasting my valuable time!"

Cherryl whipped around. "Koh, could you beat this guy up for me?" she asked, her voice dripping sweetness.

Koh gulped as the man stood up. He was like a giant. "Uhh… Cherryl… maybe we should find an inn… yeah, an inn," Koh grabbed Cherryl's hand and began to pull her through the crowd.

Cherryl yelled behind her, "You better be waiting you big oaf! Koh will get you!" Koh winced and pulled her faster.

After a while Cherry spoke up, except in a more sultry voice, "You're holding my hand, Koh."

Koh let go, "Later Cherryl." He looked behind, to see the same man stampeding through the crowd.

Koh took off again.

"Koh, wait for me-e-e-e!" Cherryl yelled.

--------

"Mister Koh would certainly like this," Selfi held up a glittering necklace. It seemed to have every kind of jewel possible in it.

"How much for this?" Selfi asked.

The shopkeeper's eyes bugged out. "That thing is 250 million Golds. Can you afford that?"

"Yes," Selfi affirmed.

"Koh definitely wouldn't like that," Fur said.

"Just because you can't afford it," Selfi retorted.

"I'm just tellin' ya," Fur said.

"Mister Koh will appreciate my generosity," Selfi said.

"I highly doubt that. He won't be seen wearing that, ever," Fur picked up a small, wooden bracelet. "How much?"

"28 Golds," the shopkeeper said.

"I'll take it," Selfi grabbed it out of her hand.

"Hey! It's mine!" Fur grabbed it back.

"Let go!" Selfi said.

"Leggo!" Fur yelled.

With a snap, the bracelet broke.

"Oops," they both said.

"Out," the shopkeeper said, and both obeyed.

--------

Vivian stared up at the stage longingly. "She doing it all wrong," she muttered.

"Nobody cares," Nico took a swig of the ale the bartender had given her.

"Yeah, but it's a disgrace to dancers to dance… to try to dance like," Vivian corrected herself.

"Yeah, yeah, now be quiet. I'm just glad that Selfi followed Fur instead of me… stupid hussy," Nico tipped her glass up, draining it.

Vivian was practically squirming. "I could outdo her! I'm just itching to get up there and dance!"

"Don't do it; spare me the embarrassment," Nico muttered.

"Nico I'm gonna ask the barkeep," Vivian turned. "Hey, barkeep!"

The man turned, from flirting with another girl. "What can I getcha, good-lookin'?"

"Cut the chit-chat," Vivian said. "Can I get a chance to dance on that stage?"

"No can do," the bartender said. "Only qualified dancers get on the stage."

"Haven't you ever heard of me? Vivian of Monsbaiya?" Vivian asked.

"Nope," The bartender turned to serve a customer.

"See, that's where showing off gets ya," Nico said. She slammed her glass down. "Hey barkeep!"

Vivian stared at that girl. She was only staying up by a miraculous sense of balance, and loads of luck. She was practically tripping gracefully, nothing more. Vivian was appalled by such lack of skill. She wanted to knock that pretender off and stomp on her ungrateful body and dance.

"Vivian?"

"Hey! Vivian!"

Vivian turned around.

"Vivian, you were gettin' sorta scary over there, I think you need some air," Nico said.

"I need to dance!" Vivian said. "Barkeep! I want to dance, and you had better let me, if you respect your future life whatsoever!"

The bartender snickered.

"Fine then!" Vivian turned. She heard Nico yell, but ignored it. She walked up to the stage. She grabbed one of the dancer's fancy sashes and pulled. She went down in an ungainly sprawl. Vivian leapt nimbly up onto the stage. By now, everybody's eyes were on Vivian, as it was meant to be. That is except Nico, who was holding her head in her hands. Vivian curtsied and went right into the routine. It reminded her of the days in the bar in Monsbaiya, when Koh seemed to be no more than a kid, just another man after her heart. She laughed as she danced, her feet flowing from step to step. This brought back sweet memories, such treasured memories. She finally stopped. There was much applause, except from the bartender.

"I paid good money to hire her! Now she's injured! Get out! OUT!" the bartender roared, purple in the face.

"I should've stuck with Selfi," Nico moaned.

-------

"Here we are!" Mia said, spreading her arms wide.

"Mia… this… is a library," Patty said.

"Your point being?" Mia asked.

"I am looking for FOOD, you know, the stuff my dad cooks with…" Patti trailed off miserably.

"Well… libraries are much, much better," Mia said.

"You said you knew the way around in this town!" Patty exclaimed.

"I am reasonably sure that they should have a map in there," Mia said.

Patty reluctantly followed Mia.

The first thing Patti noticed was the smell. It smelled… old. Like dust, or must, it was just stifling. Mia breathed deeply. Patty gagged. The room had bookshelves stacked from wall to wall, spiraling up to the roof. People were absolutely quiet as they browsed. Patty found something interesting. They had some criminals posted here.

**__**

WANTED

500 Gold

Truman the "Troll Master"

Crime of "Robbing tamers of their familiars"

****

WANTED

5,000 Gold

Barbaric Bertha

Crime of "Killing unarmed civilians on the Haruka Highway"

****

WANTED

10,000 Gold

DEAD or ALIVE

AdeptsR2Cool & Carledo

Crime of "Not updating their fanfictions!"

Patty winced as she read those posters. Whoever those people were, they didn't sound very nice. She turned to see Mia truding along the hall towards her. Her face was in a frown.

"No map?" Patty asked.

"Nope," Mia said dejectedly. Then she grinned broadly. "But I've been dying to read this book, and it just came out, and so I checked it out."

"I don't care, I kind of need to find some food," Patty said.

"Hey, Patty, why would you be buying food?" Mia asked.

"My dad needs it," Patty said.

"Yeah well… the food would spoil if you brought it back with you," Mia said.

"Nonesense," Patty said. "My dad does it all the time, straight to Haruka and straight back."

Mia nodded her head. "Patty, Koh didn't leave just to come to Haruka…"

Patty's eyes widened, "You mean, he's going past Haruka? Most people don't do that… They get whatever they need here. There's no reason to."  
Mia explained. "Koh wasn't just going on an errand. He wants to get away from everything. That's why he didn't want anyone else coming. So far, we've proved to be more of a hindrance than a help, and Koh is just putting up with us out of politeness. He doesn't want to hurt our feelings. Patty, this isn't just a quick jaunt to the next town, I think Koh is trying to prove something to himself."

"Wow… Mia, I didn't know," Patty said.

"Of course. I think Nico may have figured it out, but that's it. Everyone just thinks that this is Koh's boyish sense of adventure again."

"Excuse me," a sharp feminine voice snapped.

"Oh, hello, miss librarian," Mia said.

"You two should leave now," the librarian said.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"You two loudmouths are disturbing the other people in here," the librarian said.

"I well… I… we are sorry," Patty stammered.

"We truly apologize," Mia said.

"I said, 'leave'," the librarian snapped.

"I'm leaving," Mia said, strolling out the door.

Patty followed.

When they got outside, Patty exclaimed, "Free!"

Mia glared at Patty.

-------

"This place is too dirty for me," Ghosh said.

"Everything seems to dirty for you," Fon muttered.

"Don't you people know how to treat the Prince of Monsbaiya!" Ghosh exclaimed.

A girl looked over sideways at him. "Umm… no." Walking away, she muttered, "Creep."

Ghosh stared agape at her. "Such insolence," he sniffed.

Fon had to quell the urge to laugh. He decided it would be best to follow Ghosh, mainly because people tried to get as far away from Ghosh, which made walking easier. Fon continued walking behind Ghosh. Ghosh stopped at tried to strike up conversation with a rather pretty looking girl. She just shrugged him off. She back off a little and then noticed Fon. She walked over to him.

"Hmm… you look familiar," she said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Oh well… I'm not from here," Fon said.

"Oh where are you from?" the girl asked.

"He's from Monsbaiya, like me," Ghosh interrupted.

"Monsbaiya…? Oh! Are you Fon?!" the girl asked.

"Ah… Yes I am," Fon said.

"See, he's Fon the nobody, wouldn't you prefer to talk to me," Ghosh interrupted again.

"No! Bug off, freak! So you are _the_ Fon?" she asked.

"I guess," Fon said looking nervously at the frustrated Ghosh.

"Oh wow! I am a big fan of your plays! They are hilarious! I want to marry you!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Fon said, completely baffled.

People began to look at Fon. He heard them muttering things.

Men began to cheer, and women were swooning. A mob was forming, and for Fon.

"Excuse me!" Ghosh exclaimed, but nobody heard him, they were too busy fawning over Fon.

"Can I have your autograph?!" A girl exclaimed.

"Teach me how to write such brilliant scripts!" A man yelled.

"I wanna be your partner!" Another man exclaimed.

"I want to be your best friend!" Some children exclaimed from the crowd.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… calm down…" Fon looked around, unused to the fame. Sure, in Monsbaiya his theater was moderately popular, and sometimes even a sell-out, but the citizens never flocked him, not like this. Fon's gaze shifted over to the fuming Ghosh. His eyes widened as he realized Ghosh was drawing his sword. As quick as a Picket, he took off into the crowded streets. He heard screams behind him and he tried to go faster.

Fon didn't turn around, but he heard Ghosh Rode coming behind him sword in hand, and didn't want to get caught in that tempest of fury…

-------

Koh was still a little uneasy about the whole shopkeeper thing, so he kept a brisk pace. Cherryl was huffing and puffing behind him, but he wouldn't relent.

"Koh, my side hurts," She moaned. "I think we lost him. Even if he did follow us, you could win."

"With what?" Koh asked.

Cherryl took a deep breath, and continued, "Koh, you have some of the most vicious familiars and you have one of the most powerful swords ever. How could you lose?"

Koh countered with, "How would I win?"

"What?" Cherry asked, plainly baffled.

"Any of those options would kill him. I don't want to do that. It's better to avoid fights than start them. Remember that there is almost always a solution to a problem other than violence."

Cherryl rolled her eyes.

That was the moment when Nico decided to run into Cherry. With a shriek, Cherry fell, with Nico on top. Vivian wasn't too far behind. Koh could only watch as the three tumbled into a massive jumble. People stared openly at the spectacle. Nico struggled to get up, but with Vivian on top, it wasn't helping. Finally, Vivan rolled off. Then, Fur and Self came around the corner. Both were arguing quite viciously and didn't notice that Vivian had rolled into their path, until it was too late. They tumbled down on Vivian. And then, to top it off, Fon bolted around the corner. His eyes widened and he made a specacular leap. He only succeeded in landing on Nico. Ghosh wasn't too far behind, but his fall was more devastating due to the chain mail he insisted on wearing.

Koh could only stare at the scene and try to keep his dignity. If they couldn't survive Haruka, what would they do in towns beyond. Koh had another thought. What would happen when they got lodgings for the night?

It was at that moment that Bet stumbled into Koh and knocked him into the pile too.

~~~

School… The ultimate writer's block. I'm not going to say the next one will come faster, unless the teachers lighten up on homework, but I'm trying.


End file.
